Description of the attraction
Palazzo delle Colonne di Marmo - The palace with marble columns is one of the oldest buildings in Livorno, located in the Venezia Nuova quarter. It got its name from the two marble columns framing the entrance to the interior from Via Borra.
At the end of the 17th century, the local ruler Marco Alessandro del Borro issued a decree to demolish part of the fortress of Fortezza Nuova in order to build new residential buildings on the vacated lands. This quarter is a continuation of the nearby Venezia Nuova district, which was founded in the early 17th century. Immediately, numerous merchants began to build their residences here, who were attracted by the proximity to the port.
Around 1703, Ottavio Gamberini, a Lucca merchant, acquired a piece of land on what is now Via Borra, behind the Fosso della Venezia defensive canal, and built an elegant palace on it. It is believed that the author of the palace project was Giovan Battista Foggini. In the following centuries, the Palazzo was significantly rebuilt, and became one floor higher. In 1912, the building, owned by the Bicchierai family, became the property of the Monte di Pieta society of usurers, and later it housed the State Archives.
The current Palazzo delle Colonne di Marmo is a rectangular building with sides facing the main street and the canal. The façade that overlooks Via Borra, together with the façades of other buildings, for example, Palazzo Hugens, makes up a single architectural ensemble. This façade, clad in Carrara marble, is undoubtedly the most outstanding part of the ensemble. Two Tuscan-style columns frame the main entrance inside and give the entire building a baroque look. There you can also see statues depicting the seasons and grotesque masquerades on the windows of the upper floor. There is a small courtyard behind the entrance to the Palazzo, partly surrounded by a colonnade. Two large windows are visible from the side.
